- Stouffville’s 2025 Council remuneration totaled over $680K, representing 0.78 percent of the Town’s operating budget.
- Mayor Iain Lovatt received over $156K in total remuneration from the Town, plus nearly $79K from York Region.
- Ward councillors received a base salary of just over $56,700 plus benefits, with a reduced amount for Councillor Rick Upton.
- Base salaries have increased through cost-of-living adjustments and a raise approved by Council during the 2024 budget process.
- Total Council compensation included $66,680 in car allowances and over $125K in benefits.
- Public relations spending varied, with expenses ranging from 18 percent to 91 percent of allocated budgets.
Stouffville has released its 2025 Council remuneration report, detailing over $680,000 in combined salaries, benefits, and expenses for elected officials. The total represents approximately 0.78 percent of the Town’s $87.4 million operating budget.
Under Ontario’s Municipal Act, municipalities are required to publicly disclose annual remuneration for members of Council and its committees by March 31. Stouffville’s current term began in 2022, when a by-law established base salaries of $98,629.80 for the mayor and $48,931.06 for councillors.
Those figures have since increased through a combination of cost-of-living adjustments and a Council-approved salary bump.
Annual COLA adjustments are applied at the same frequency as those provided to non-unionized Town Staff, impacting both salaries and car allowances. Council remuneration in 2023 reflected an approximate 1.85 percent increase over the 2022 by-law, for example.
The more significant change came during the 2024 budget process, when Council unanimously approved an increase to base salaries. The change, later formalized in a remuneration by-law amendment approved on Dec. 6, 2023, passed without debate.
Compared to the 2022 by-law, the change would see base salaries increase by 10.5% through 2024. Remuneration reporting last year showed Council’s 2024 salaries had increased by 8.4% over 2023.
As a result of those increases, Lovatt’s Town salary reached $115,594.36 in 2025, while councillors earned $56,740.52. Councillor Rick Upton received $53,097.52 after a December reduction tied to three months of lost pay stemming from harassment findings against him.
Council compensation also includes vehicle allowances, which were increased for Mayor Lovatt through the same by-law amendment. With cost-of-living adjustments applied, Lovatt received a $12,230.81 car allowance last year, while councillors were allocated $9,173.24. Upton’s allowance was reduced to $8,584.77.
In addition to salaries and allowances, Council members receive benefits, including pension contributions and group insurance. Total benefit costs reached $125,336.60 in 2025. Lovatt also earned $63,623 in salary and $14,791.05 in benefits for his role on York Regional Council, compensation that is funded by the Region rather than the Town.
Council members are further supported by annual public relations budgets intended to cover costs associated with their official duties and constituent engagement. Spending is tracked through quarterly disclosures posted online, with allocation levels varying by role and ward.
“The Mayor and the Councillors may spend up to the limit of their approved Public Relations budget on activities relevant to their responsibilities as a Member of Council, at their own discretion,” Staff noted in a report scheduled for Council consideration next week.
In 2025, Lovatt used $19,711.90, or 79 percent, of his $25,000 allocation. Among councillors, Hugo Kroon spent $3,451 (91 percent) of his $3,800 budget, while Maurice Smith used $3,347.99 (80 percent) of $4,200. Keith Acton expensed $2,301.60 (61 percent) of his $3,800 limit.
Upton, who is allocated the largest councillor budget at $5,200, spent $4,362.76 (84 percent). Sue Sherban used $2,006.08 (40 percent) of her $5,000 budget, while Richard Bartley reported the lowest spending at $715.21, or 18 percent of his $4,000 allocation.
“These expenses may be paid by the member and reimbursed by the Town, or paid directly by the Town on behalf of the member,” the report adds.
Additional remuneration is provided through the Committee of Adjustment. Councillors Kroon and Upton each received $1,100 for their roles on the committee, while total compensation for all committee members, including public appointees and expenses, reached $9,075.52.
